Dueling is a Fighting Style that adds +2 to damage rolls with a melee weapon you hold in one hand, as long as you wield no other weapons. It does not add to attack rolls. Under the 2014 rules, a shield can be used alongside it, and a versatile weapon such as a longsword qualifies as long as you use it one-handed. The 2024 rulebook presents the same basic effect in a different format, so the edition you are playing matters when you resolve an edge case.
The 2014 rule text
In the 2014 rules, Dueling appears among the Fighting Style options available to the Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger. The Basic Rules and the System Reference Document 5.1 state the condition this way: when you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. The bonus applies only to damage. Your attack roll is unchanged, and the bonus is a fixed number rather than an extra die.
Because the bonus is flat, it is not doubled on a critical hit under the standard rule, which doubles only the dice. A longsword hit that crits still gets the +2 once, while the dice are doubled.
What counts as qualifying
Each part of the condition has a specific meaning, and most confusion comes from misreading one of them.
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One melee weapon in one hand
The weapon has to be a melee weapon, and you have to be holding it in one hand. Dueling does nothing for a ranged weapon such as a longbow. A weapon with the two-handed property does not qualify when you grip it with both hands.
“No other weapons,” not “nothing else”
The restriction is on other weapons, not on everything in your hands. A 2014 Sage Advice clarification on class features says a shield does not count as a weapon for this condition, so a character with a longsword and a shield keeps the bonus. The same clarification also addresses holding a spellcasting focus or leaving a hand free, and the free-hand case is the common one: an empty hand does not break the condition.
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Holding a second weapon does break it. Two-weapon fighting with a handaxe in each hand means neither hit gets the Dueling bonus.
Versatile weapons
A versatile weapon qualifies only when you use it one-handed. The longsword, for example, is a versatile weapon with a one-handed damage die of 1d8 and a two-handed die of 1d10. Gripping it with both hands gives up Dueling, but the larger die may be worth it if you do not want a shield.
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Thrown and bonus-action attacks
The 2014 wording refers to a melee weapon you wield, and the rules and clarifications I could check do not settle how Dueling applies to thrown weapons used at short range or to off-hand attacks made as a bonus action. Treat those cases as open questions and confirm them with your table before relying on them.
Worked numbers for a longsword
The table below compares average damage per hit for a Fighter using a longsword, before adding the ability modifier. The figures are the standard averages for the die, so they are a planning aid rather than a measured result.
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| Grip | Damage die | Dueling bonus | Average per hit (before modifier) | Shield possible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-handed | 1d8 | +2 (included) | 6.5 | Yes, under the 2014 clarification |
| Two-handed | 1d10 | Not applicable | 5.5 | No |
The one-handed grip averages one point more per hit and leaves a hand free for a shield, which usually adds 2 to Armor Class. The two-handed grip is the better choice only when the extra die matters more than the defensive trade-off, for example against targets with high Armor Class where a shield’s +2 is small.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The 2014 and 2024 presentations
The two rulebooks describe the feature differently, so the edition determines which text governs your character.
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| Element | 2014 rules | 2024 rules |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Fighting Style option, chosen through the class feature | Fighting Style feat, listed with the Fighting Style feature as its prerequisite |
| Effect | +2 to damage rolls with a melee weapon wielded in one hand and no other weapons | +2 damage with a melee weapon held in one hand and no other weapons, per an unofficial transcription of the 2024 Player’s Handbook text; check the printed book |
| Shield compatibility | Confirmed by a 2014 Sage Advice clarification on class features | Not stated in the text I could verify |
| Official reference | D&D Basic Rules and System Reference Document 5.1 | 2024 Player’s Handbook |
If you are building a character in the 2024 rules, read the feat in your own copy of the book before assuming the 2014 shield ruling carries over.
Choosing Dueling
Dueling is worth comparing against other Fighting Styles on four points: the expected damage per qualifying hit, whether you want a shield or a free hand, whether your weapon is best used one-handed, and which edition your table uses. Compare these against the character’s level, weapon, and number of attacks. A style that suits a single-attack longsword fighter may matter less for a character who attacks twice per turn with two light weapons, because Dueling does not apply when you wield two weapons.
The +2 is a rule value rather than a measured statistic, and the article’s figures above are arithmetic from standard die averages.
The 2014 Player’s Handbook is a useful physical reference if you want the full class text, but the Basic Rules and SRD 5.1 contain the 2014 Dueling text.
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